Lackadaisical Days
by fiftychemicalsofromance
Summary: Set pre-series in a human AU, Atlas is alive and Lackadaisy is thriving. Mordecai has been hired, and brought with him some unprecedented complications by the name of Asa Sweet: at least, that's who they think it is. Still, trouble is brewing and no one in our favorite speakeasy can be sure of the future.
1. Chapter 1

[[So this story is something I decided would be fun to post on here. Just in case you missed the summary, It's going to eventually be Viktor/Mordecai, then even more eventually Viktor/Mordecai/OC which I will do my best to portray as well as it looks in my head. To be clear Mordecai is going to like Viktor a lot sooner than is going to be vice versa. No hate please.

Miss Butler, if you read this than I'm really sorry please don't hate me too much if you read the whole thing because your characters are being mutilated I'm so sorry.]]

Chapter One

Sexual desire was honestly something that Mordecai would have preferred to never experience. It was difficult, in any event, to think of it as anything other than a menial chore or another job without some degree of panic.

He had a specific skill set, that was what Atlas had said, and yet...he was fairly certain Atlas had no idea exactly what that skill set included. It was true, no matter how violently he had staunched the rumors, that when he was younger he had been desperate for money for his siblings.

It was normal; at least, that was what the books on the topic had said. People who went through sexual trauma as children often avoided encounters in the future. Problems with personal space (close proximity) were common, as was a sensitivity to situations.

Viktor, to his credit, had figured out more or less what was the matter (or at least that his being too close made the other antsy). He had been unhappy when Atlas had partnered them up, what with the younger man's (diminutive) stature. He never made conversation with anyone, or listened to anyone other than Ivy, but he guessed Mordecai might just know he disliked him.

Privately, he collected information on the other. He knew that he had been young when he got involved in the shadier side of things, and he knew what that sometimes entailed.

Out of a mutually respected but unvoiced agreement he didn't ask about his earlier days so long as Mordecai stayed out of his life before the war. He could guess, with a degree of surety, that there was a reason why his companion jumped when people appeared unexpectedly or got too close.

The awkward silences turned to companionable ones and eventually, there was conversation. Nothing too serious, often sarcastic insults that neither really meant, then more personal things. Stil, neither of them broke that unspoken agreement.

Not until Mordecai's curiosity got the best of him and he stole a peak at a down turned photo on Viktor's dresser.

"Who is she?" He had asked before thinking. The woman in the picture was lovely, all soft curls and gentle, caring eyes. She was thin, almost sickly, but she smiled at the person taking the picture as though they defined her world and there could be nothing better.

"Put it down. Naow." He growled, the other obeying, if a bit hesitantly. "She vas...friend of mine. Before var happened."

"A friend? Not a lover?"

"Eh, is hard to tell. Name is Jana. She had girlfriend, but ve married for two year before she die." He seemed to think on his next words, contemplating whether or not he would say them. Mordecai didn't speak for a moment before his curiosity got the best of him.

"You mean she was... Queer? She loved another woman?"

He nodded.

"You never thought it was unnatural?" His voice raised in pitch subtly, surprised. The older man sighed.

"No, she vas my...best friend? Is vat Ivy say? She always know she vas different, I know too. Changes nothing for me. Her family vas, ah, harsh. They make her leave, shame her, she kill herself after girlfriend runs avay. Her girlfriend come back hurt, join enemy dressed as boy to fight in var. Men, they find out, kill her. Hurt her worse before."

"Oh." He looked downward, the words weighing more heavily than he liked them to.

"Vat about you?"

"Me?" He looked up, raising an eyebrow. "What about me?"

"Alvays, you are afraid to be touched. Vill not shake hand even, not get too close. Vhy?"

He didn't answer for what felt like several minutes. "I... I can't..."

"You start young, àno? Some men, they hurt you."

He flinched, stepping back unintentionally. "I, yes."

He nodded. "I vill tell no one."

"Thank you."

"Is not...is not your fault. You know this?"

He laughed, rather bitterly. "Oh, isn't it? Still, it's of no matter. It will not happen again."

Viktor nodded, going back to rummaging in the kitchen for something to eat. The conversation was left as it was as they fell into their usual companionable silence.

-

Viktor never asked him about the earlier years of his career, but tolerated questions about the lovely girl in the picture and other things that related to her.

"Why did her lover run away if they were in love?" He asked one day, while they were waiting for their target to show up at the train station. "And why did she marry you?"

"Her name vas Ishtar and her father, he drinks, alvays yell and hit. One day, he hit too hard and she left for almost year. She send letter every day that Jana never read. Jana, her family almost find out, ve get married to protect her. Vas two year before Ishtar ran avay."

He frowned, the brim of his hat shrouding his eyes for a moment in its shadow. Viktor was quiet, possibly thinking about the others reaction but probably thinking about Jana.

He almost spoke, but was saved by the appearance of the man in question. They moved quickly, back into their smooth and practiced routine of their job.

It made more sense than anything else, Mordecai thought as they were dumping bodies in a privately rented incinerator. Killing was simple, easier than anything to pull the trigger and end a life. He wondered candidly if it made him a monster, this lack of empathy.

Sometimes there were familiar faces, people he had worked for at a younger age. He killed them all the same, reveling quietly in the reversal of roles as they begged him for mercy and he gave no quarter.

-

They got closer over time, the two of them did, figuratively an literally as they began to trust each other more. There was more odd fondness, the occasional spark of affection, even quaint arguments that some (Ivy and Rocky for the most part) said sounded like the squabbling of an old and ornery couple. There were times that Mordecai found himself looking at the other curiously, when he was certain he wouldn't look back. If Viktor noticed, he never said a word.

It was odd, he thought, that after knowing someone for a meager six months he could already trust him. Even odder was the way that Viktor seemed untroubled by his faith in the other. Then again, if it was anyone else he might have already killed them and claimed it was a casualty of a fight gone wrong.

Good coworkers were hard to find, though, so he made that his excuse. Loyalty set in on him like a disease of some sort, pricking his temper when someone spoke ill of the other and pulling panic to the surface when he lost sight of him during a job. It bothered him less and less, a fact that was rather maddening when he had he chance to think about it.

And then, when he thought things couldn't be any stranger, there was the night that Mordecai came to refer to in his head as the Beginning of the End.

Mitzi could be stubborn about fun, this much he knew. Still, it had never irked him as much as it had when she sat a drink down in front of him and ordered him to drink it. If it hasn't been for her husband looking on indulgently, he might have tossed it back at her.

It was bitter, burning him on its way down his throat. He shuddered, trying to drink down the tall glass as the room grew fuzzier and fuzzier. Viktor reached over to try to steady him as the dropped the glass.

There wasn't too much he remembered, he had said some kind of odd things about his coworker but it paled in comparison next to the way he had curled into his lap and of all things had fallen asleep with a curiously contented smile.

He remembered being carried to the car and set down in the backseat. He remembered being brought inside Viktor's apartment and he remembered being set carefully on the bed. More than any of that, he remembered the tone of the soft words Viktor had murmured before going to sleep in one of the chairs in the living room and how he had never wanted someone close to him so badly.

There was a stirring beyond friendly loyalty, a want he hadn't felt in years that urged him to go to the man who had been so oddly understanding and repay him in any way he could.

He thought about having him in the bed, the heat he would give and the way it would feel to be bent around him, completely at his mercy. The way it would hurt, just enough to make it feel real, and how gentle he was sure the other would be, how...loving.

This was what he thought about in the moments before he fell asleep, too drunk to properly berate himself for thinking of such a thing, and what he saw in a dream that made him begrudge the next morning for its untimely appearance.

He would tell himself afterwards that it was absurd to be attracted to Viktor, and write it off as a booze and celibacy induced temporary loss of sanity. He would remind himself firmly that no one could be trusted, and he would do his best to forget about it


	2. Chapter 2

[[TRIGGER WARNING FOR SEXUAL ASSAULT AFTERMATH]]

Chapter Two

A few weeks had passed very eventfully before there was any real change. Viktor knew, as he always seemed to, that there would be a change between the two of them some time in the near future-he wasn't wrong.

Asa Sweet, a former friend of Atlas's, had decided to take a bit too much of the pie himself and start up his own establishment. He wanted for men, needed men, runners and book keepers alike. This was why, when Mordecai turned up missing, there was something of an uproar. Since it was clear that he hadn't left on his own accord- what with the mess back at his often meticulously kept home- there was a mad scramble to find the hideout of their newest rival to look for their lost employee.

Viktor was worried. He was fairly certain that, from the times he had spoken to the man, it could be noted that he was definitely the type to take advantage of a younger boy who was desperate for money. If Mordecai had been a bit jumpy around other people he was downright skittish around him and the Slovak had a good guess as to why.

-

Mordecai was dreaming. Light flooded through the familiar window in the bedroom of Viktor's small apartment, warming the two of them where they lay twined together under the blankets.

He sighed happily when the other shifted to press his face into his neck and murmur something soft-sounding before waking up enough to say a sleepy good morning in his native language.

"Good morning to you too." He stretched out carefully before rolling over to kiss Viktor happily. He debated getting up to do something so domestic as make breakfast, but decided to forgo it in favor if a few more minutes of peace. He closed his eyes again, hiding his face in his lover's chest.

When he opened his eyes, he was back in the room Asa and his lot had thrown him into. It was small, only a bed and a toilet in the corner. He entertained the notion if hanging himself on the bed. When he climbed down to look it was apparent such a thing would be possible if he was so inclined. Still, he very much hoped that it wouldn't come to that, just like he hoped to be captured for some other reason than the scenario racing through his head.

The door opened. He moved quickly to stand on the other side of the bed, on the defensive.

"You're a hard man to catch, Mr. Heller." Asa's jovial voice sounded through the small space. "You killed my best gunman, you know. I'd say that means you owe me something."

He flinched. "So long as what you ask for is within the bounds of propriety, how can I refuse? It's only proper, after all, for a gentleman to repay his debts."

Asa's eyes narrowed. "Funny, kid. i remember you as plenty of things, none of them come close to gentleman. Get on your knees, would you?"

"You'll have to break them out from under me." He growled, the very picture of defiance. "Go find yourself a wife who'll want money badly enough that she'll pretend to enjoy your appearance."

"How about you, Hm? You're a whore at least, though you're hardly money-grubbing and I definitely wouldn't marry you."

"I'm a trigger man."

"Not always."

He glared at Asa, tense. The bigger man shrugged, starting to leave.

"Well, it wont be any fun if you're fighting me every step of the way. I figure you'll change you mind when you start wanting food." He said in parting, only the way he slammed the door giving away his anger.

A month passed, according to the tally marks on the wall and the hit of light that came from the thin window near the ceiling, and Mordecai was trapped still. Asa got braver as the days continued, getting closer every day but never touching him more than a little bit before withdrawing for fear of loss of life and limb.

There were others, stronger men, who came to solicit and most of the time he found himself powerless against them. He was a good trigger man, strong and capable, but three against one when you're the one and you're pitifully outgunned, well, the results weren't pleasant. He found that thinking about it too long gave him the urge to try and upend the bed to hang himself in earnest.

He dreamt again.

Asa reappeared the day he drugged the food that was shoved into the little prison.

It had been odd, really. His vision was so blurred he had to close his eyes, lay down on the floor. Asa stalked in triumphantly, grabbing the younger man by the hair and dragging him to the bed. He pushed him down, smirking at the sight but pausing at the sound of gunfire.

Asa said something loud and unintelligible before running out of the room, perhaps to investigate. There was more gunfire and Mordecai found himself hoping the man had been shot.

He tried to stand, only to find himself unable to do so for whatever drug was coursing through his system. His eyes closed again, but this time he did not dream. He woke only when some far bigger than him scooped him up off the bed, and even then it was only for a moment.

It was seldom that Viktor allowed himself become truly angry, but at the moment he was seeing red. He held Mordecai carefully, mindful of possible injuries. He had a few broken ribs, that was certain, and while he didn't think anything else was broken he was fairly certain that there were plenty of bruises.

Save a few that had escaped, Asa included, the hideout was little more than a mass grave. He set fire to it on the way out, finding out later that it had, in fact, burned to the ground with minimal survivors.

Mordecai was completely unconscious still when they got back to the Little Daisy. He walked through the door carefully, feeling him start to regain conscience. Ivy and Mitzi were the only ones there, and they froze when they saw Viktor and the smaller man in his arms.

"You found him!" Ivy yelled jubilantly, rushing over. Mordecai tucked himself into the other's chest uncertainly. "Where was he? Was it really Asa? What-?"

"Deivka, please to be calm. Is hurt, and scared. Vhy dont you call doctor?"

"He isn't going to kill him, is he? Because I get the feeling that would cost extra."

"He not killed him? Just scared. He calm down soon." He shifted, holding the man much more protectively than he felt was normal, especially because they were in no danger. Ivy gave them a quick, curious look but bolted away to the telephone.

"What's the damage?" Mitzi asked, watching the two of them from behind the counter.

"Broken ribs, at least. I think maybe he not let us look. Scared."

"The second half was more the answer to that than anything." She sighed, walking over to them carefully. "Mordecai, honey, what happened to you?"

There was no answer. She sighed again. "You're gonna have to tell the doctor soon anyway. You might as well tell us now."

He gave no answer.

"Please, dear? We can't help you if we don't know what's the matter."

"Mitzi, is drugged."

"With what?!"

"He looks like the girl in my dorm did- you know, the one that was missing. Somebody left her in front of the school, drugged. They said that someone had taken advantage of her." Ivy had materialized in the doorway. "And, Dr. Quakenbush is on his way. Where was he?"

"An establishment near the river, dear. I doubt that was their intention. Mordecai's a fighter, you know, I'm certain it was only convenience..." She looked to Viktor for reassurance, but found none. "I hope that's what it was..."

"Deivka, go to tell Mr. May Mordecai is back."

"But-"

"Go, naow." His voice sharpened, enough to warn her against arguing back. She huffed, stalking her way out of the room again.

"He was drugged for the same reason that poor girl was, wasn't he?"

"Vas locked in room with bed, like property." His voice lowered into a growl unintentionally. Mordecai stirred, diverting the man's attention quickly. He forced himself to calm down a bit, the red receding from the edges of his gaze. "Clothing is torn, buttons missing."

She nodded, sitting down defeatedly on a barstool. "Goodness. This changes things. What will we tell the doctor?"

"What will you tell me about what?" The comically small man spoke up from behind them. "My apologies, your door was unlocked. I'm going to guess that the boy is my patient?"

"Yes, that's correct." Mitzi smiled in her personable way. "I haven't the cash-"

"No need. The young lady said it looked like sexual assault." Viktor let out what almost passed as a growl, making the doctor step back a moment before he decided there was no danger.

Mitzi frowned. "I'm afraid I don't understand..."

"There's no charge for my helping someone who's gone through that." He gave Mordecai a rather gentle look, then turned his gaze to the man holding him.

Something in his eyes eased Viktor's anger, letting him set the young man down and step back just enough to give the doctor ample working room.

"She's right, the way his clothes are torn is unnerving." He opened Mordecai's mouth carefully, using a small light to take a look. "No irritation in the throat. That's a good sign...Viktor, can you help me get his shirt off?"

He nodded, undoing the few remaining buttons and easing it open. His tie, jacket, and vest were all missing, something Viktor noted rather worriedly. There was no way he would have gone without the articles willingly.

His chest was smattered with bruises, a few of which were distinctly hand-shaped, a handful of hickeys clustered around his collarbone. A dark bite mark manifested itself when his shoulder was exposed, the skin broken in the center where the teeth would have pressed. The doctor shook his head sadly.

"Poor boy. What is he, nineteen?"

"Tventy-three."

"That isn't much better. We'll wait until he's awake to do anything else."

The Slovak agreed with the decision silently. Mordecai, he knew, wouldn't take kindly to his privacy being invaded so throughly at all.

Upon waking, he refused further examination. Only under duress from Mitzi and Ivy combined did he allow the doctor to wrap his two confirmed broken ribs. When offered a drink to help with the pain he took it eagerly and downed it in a few swallows. His hand shook slightly, the only physical betrayal of his unbalanced state.

When Mitzi offered him a place to stay, he took her up on the offer. They already knew where his house was, after all, and it was only a matter of time before the survivors dredged up enough people to exact some revenge


	3. Chapter 3

[[People are reading this oh my stars. That's so cool! It would be really awesome if you guys would review, although I'll be honest and say that I'm writing this story for my own fun more than anything. Updates will be scattered, guys, sorry but school takes precedence.]]

Chapter Three

He stayed closer to Viktor than ever before. Despite the drugs, he remembered quite clearly just who it was who had risked his life to save him.

It was hard, to be in another man's debt in such a way. He trusted him now, without inner complaint, and took care to watch his back even more carefully than he had before.

The thoughts that plagued him during his captivity and the night he had been inebriated came back almost tenfold, to the point where he would watch Viktor like a schoolgirl with a crush when he was near the object of his strange new affection.

There were very few people who were close enough to notice this development, but even fewer that said anything to Mordecai about it. And yet, Ivy and Rocky were avid pursues of this conversational topic despite his best effort to distract them.

Whatever a 'struggle buggy' was, he was certain he wanted no part in riding in one. When he voiced this to Mitzi, she had informed a rather embarrassed trigger man exactly what Rocky meant by the term and laughed at the shade of red his cheeks turned at the suggestion of him and Viktor engaging in such a thing.

"They're just teasing you, Mordecai." She had told him, her customary smile in place. "Try not to take it too seriously."

They teased him still, and the more they teased him the more he blushed and stammered and made excuses to exit the room. Eventually Viktor caught wind of what was going on and took to glaring at anyone who made the joke.

To be honest, he was starting to scare himself. Always, he had thought of life as himself against the world, but now...it had shifted. Beside the debt he owed, he grew more and more to think of life as him and Viktor against the world than anything else.

Ivy disliked Mordecai, and made no secret of it. He spent too much time with Viktor, liked one of those creepy, queer psychopaths out of a movie. Mitzi had sighed when Ivy shared her opinions with her, telling her not to be jealous.

She didn't think she was being jealous. She knew there was something weird about the long, lingering looks Mordecai gave her friend and she didn't like it one bit.

"What do you think'll happen if he tries something?" She asked Rocky, after he had asked her if she noticed anything strange about the pair.

"Oh, don't you worry one bit. Vinegar over there wouldn't put up with anything he didn't want."

Ivy thought a lot about that, up to the point where Viktor himself came to ask her to stop harassing his companion.

"Dievka, you make him nervous veck." He had frowned at the face she made. "Vhy do this?"

"He gives you weird looks, like the looks I give to boys I want to notice me. It's not right." She whacked him on the shoulder when he smiled, just slightly. "Don't you try to deny it!"

He chuckled. "Is fine."

She raise an eyebrow. "It doesn't bother you at all?"

Viktor shrugged with the same subtle smile as before.

Mordecai wandered in while they were talking. night falling as a signal for them to get to work. He was dressed accordingly, as they were to work as guards for the night, in a dark three-piece suit that Mitzi had tailored to fit him. He held out another suit of a similar style to the other.

"Atlas has sent me to force you into this proper article of clothing, a bid I am proud of him for making. You are to put it on and enjoy it, as he said in slightly less formal words."

Ivy giggled. "Good luck, I've been trying for years to get him to put one on."

"Àno," He murmured, taking the suit from the smaller man. "Tell Atlas I vill be up soon."

Mordecai nodded curtly, hurrying up the stairs again and trying not to laugh at Ivy's incensed expression as Viktor left the garage to go and get changed.

The second that he reached the top of the stairs, he froze. There was Asa at one of the smaller card tables, in all his gluttonous glory. The thought might have garnered a grin for the man, had he not been so suddenly terrified. He bolted back, away from the stairs, running into Ivy.

"Terribly sorry, my apologies-" He tried to scoot around her, but was barred by a raised arm.

"Not a chance. What're you running off for? I thought you were downstairs tonight?"

"It's hardly your business what I do, is it? Move, you ignorant child." He pushed her aside, hurrying back to the garage in an attempt to hide from Rocky should Mitzi send him looking for him. It was usually the last place he checked, mostly on account of the fact that he never wanted to disturb Viktor more than necessary.

He sat down on the ground behind the truck, trying to regain his composure before he was found as was inevitable. Footsteps sounded by the door, causing his heart rate to spike.

"Mordecai?" It was only Viktor. He relaxed, letting out a nearly audible sigh.

"I'm here." He stood shakily, dusting the back of his trousers off tidily. Viktor gave him a curious look.

"Mitzi send me. Asa is here?" His voice was carefully level, but anyone who knew him well enough could tell he was angry. Mordecai nodded, his heart speeding at the mere mention of the man.

"I'll be up in a minute."

He nodded, but didn't go anywhere.

"Viktor, I, uh, well. You see..." He took a deep breath, then exhaled purposefully. "I just was, uh, wondering..."

"Spit out, Mordecai."

He had never quite realized how much he liked to hear Viktor say his name. "You won't...you won't let him hurt me?"

"I von't."

He relaxed, reassured. "Then perhaps we should...?"

The other nodded, the two of them heading back towards their posts.

The way his two gunmen behaved together was something Atlas could no longer ignore- a thought that reoccurred to him when the two of them entered the room. He had seen Mordecai's earlier false start and guessed exactly this would happen. He made a mental note to hire another woman, see if either of them would change their interests before they became too obvious.

The two approached the smaller table where three people already sat- Asa, a rather large man that was most likely hired muscle, and Atlas. The fourth seat was empty still, Mordecai's usual place next to Atlas for when the latter was brokering deals that could turn sour at any second.

Atlas felt Asa wilt under Viktor's fierce stare from the other side of the table. The Slovak's companion touched his arm lightly.

"If you continue to make that unpleasant face, I regret to inform you that it will freeze that way." Atlas staunched a laugh.

"Besides," He continued, pulling out his chair. "Haven't you got a young lady with a date who's limbs you need to rip off over there in the corner of the dance floor?"

Seeing that he was right, Viktor reluctantly made his way over to sit at the bar and glare menacingly at the individual dancing with Ivy. Mordecai sat down in his usual careful way.

"Interesting friend you've made, Mr. Heller." Asa spoke up with a grin. He flinched when Viktor turned back their way.

Atlas chuckled quietly. "Yes, well, he took a rather dim view of the kidnapping of Mr. Heller that occurred not to long ago. It would seem that he rather disagreed with the entire thing."

Despite his partner's assurance that it would fine, Mordecai had denied seeing Asa at all during the duration of his captivity to everyone save Viktor and Atlas, claiming he was not involved. Asa knew this via Atlas, and did his best to tread carefully where the subject was concerned.

"Nobody'll buy anything from someone they suspect is molesting young boys," Atlas had said earlier that day. "You'd do well to cooperate with me if you'd like to keep business."

That was how Asa found himself in the present situation.

"You said no one else knew, May." He narrowed his eyes. "Breaking our agreement already?"

"He was hardly going to say nothing when Viktor came to rescue him. I suppose it was clear why he was there anyway, and quiet as he usually is he's pretty sharp-sharp enough to put two and two together."

"The agreement is still broken. There ought to be recompense... I want the boy."

"Take that up with Mr. Vasko. I rather doubt you'd did him agreeable."

Mordecai stiffened. "I doubt you'd find being strangled in your sleep agreeable either."

"Oh, have I offended the little whore?" The young man in question drew his gun and flipped off the safety, an action that drew Viktor's attention away from Ivy and her partner. Asa merely laughed, unaware that the tank of a man was headed quickly in his direction.

"If we could please keep this meeting civil..." Atlas said in a strained tone, making Viktor pause about three feet away. "There's no need for insults, Asa."

He gave Mordecai a sharp look. "Control your temper. Stow the gun."

"It's not an insult, Atlas." Asa laughed. "It's what he is. What's a whore if not someone who'll-"

Viktor picked him up by the throat, effectively cutting him off. The bodyguard stood, but Viktor's presence combined with his size made him stay where he was presently.

"Leave." He growled, before dropping him onto the ground like some kid of rag-doll. Asa slid himself backwards with terror written across his face. Mordecai cocked his gun warningly.

Asa didn't come back, not for a long time, and he knew better than to try an make small talk with Atlas for even longer.

"Thank you." Mordecai said later, when the guests were gone and they were on their own. "I'm not sure how to repay you, Viktor, not in any way that's within the bounds of propriety..."

Viktor shook his head, and gave him a long and intently searching look and was greeted by anxious wonder and a bit of shy affection, tempered by a streak of fear. He turned back to cleaning his gun. "Is not, ah, not good to you."

He made no response, looking down ashamedly. The man next to him sighed in a tired manner.

"I, I am not good vith the speaking. Do not..." He paused to debate his next words, watching the other's reaction with thoughtful eyes. "Do not give yourself to me, if you do not want that. Yes? Is important."

He still didn't answer of a moment, mortified with himself and the apparent mistake he had just made by making such a thinly veiled offer.

"When you said it wasn't important who Jana loved, did that apply to everyone?"

"Yes. Can be boy and girl, girl and girl, boy and boy...does not change feelings so isn't important. Men in the army, some are this way. they still fight for country." He chuckled. "Can still shoot. Hate changes nothing, Jana show me that."

"People aren't that understanding, Viktor. They're mindless enforcers of societal rule. You can't trust them any farther than you can throw them without being a gargantuan and intimidating badger stuck in a barbed wire fence."

The Slovak laughed at the description, a partial quote of Ivy's earlier words, though he hadn't the faintest idea what gargantuan meant.. "Not everyone is that way."

"I trust you." Mordecai said, and for once in his admittedly short lifetime he actually meant it. Ever so slowly, as though he was afraid of being refused, he closed the space between their faces and kissed the other chastely on the lips before leaving the room


	4. Chapter 4

[[Wow another chapter in the same day!]]

Chapter Four

"Boys," Atlas said, his demeanor matter-of-fact. "Meet our new hires. From left to right we've for Jack Ahara, Babydoll, Azazel Ahara, and Anna Selekov. Play nice, show Anna the works-she's yours to teach. Jack, Azazel, and Babydoll will be runners as well, but not with you two."

Mordecai looked ready to open his mouth and object, but Atlas simply turned and left with a parting stern look and another incredibly serious 'play nice'.

"Well then," He muttered. "Hello, I'm Mordecai Heller and this is Viktor Vasko. Welcome to Lackadaisy, and-what are you doing?"

A girl, Anna, was speaking quietly to the grizzled, dark-haired woman Atlas had introduced as Babydoll.

She was rather pretty, Anna was, in a wild and untamed way. Her hair was so blonde it was almost white, it's neglected curls springing every which way and lending her an almost crazed air about her. Her eyes were such a light hazel they were almost orange, standing out sharply from her pale skin and the inky shades that congregated under her eyes.

She looked up coldly, but checked herself, trying valiantly to make a good first impression.

"Jack and Azazel speak and understand English alright, but Babydoll only speaks Russian and Japanese so I'm explaining. Is this a problem?"

"I don't-"

"Drop it..." Muttered Jack, Azazel snickering quietly.

"Excuse me?" He twitched slightly. "Who is in charge here, again?"

"Viktor's got seniority...So, Viktor." Jack gave him an easy smile, half-lidded eyes looking him over. He was a bit younger than Mordecai, maybe twenty, but held about a six inch advantage height-wise. That didn't at all change the way Jack jumped backwards when the shorter man drew his gun.

He was clearly at least half Asian, the slant of his eyes and their odd green and gold tinting reminded Viktor vaguely of the trickster god of the legends his older sister would tell him when he was young. He got the feeling that this one would be more suited to the Lackadaisy band than anywhere else.

Azazel let out a little feral noise that sounded an awful lot like a growl. She whipped a full-sized katana blades out of sheathe on her back, bracing it menacingly at Mordecai. Babydoll held up what looked to be a modified chopper, double barreled and considerably large than the normal model.

"Easy, yeah little guy?" Jack's grin never dropped. "You don't know what you're up against yet."

"I'm certain I could handle it.

"And I'm certain Azazel here could knock your uptight ass into the dirt. What are you, fifteen? We'll give you a year's age advantage."

Viktor frowned, grabbing Mordecai's shoulder quickly to stop him from lunging at Jack. "She is fourteen?"

"Yes, she is." Anna shoved Jack quickly to the side with a muffled noise of indignation, her voice marred with a bit of panic. "She's fourteen, Jack here is nineteen. Just children, don't mind them, they don't understand these things-"

Jack muttered something objectionable in Japanese, to which Anna responded by sighing and punching him in the stomach pretty much simultaneously. It was impressive, Viktor thought, that she didn't have to look.

"I think we've done all the damage we can do today, Jack. Take your sister and go ask the mistress of the house if there's anything you can be of help with. Take Babydoll with you-god knows how much you need supervision." She turned to Azazel. "Behave. Watch him."

Azazel nodded, grabbing her brother's hand and dragging him along after the older woman. Anna turned back to them, apologetic embarrassment radiating off of her.

"Mr. Heller, I am so sorry about that, they just-"

"Save it." He sniffed, still cleaning his glasses nervously. "It's of no consequence, Miss Selekov."

"You speak Slovak?" Anna asked Viktor in the aforementioned language, Mordecai looking extremely confused. Viktor only nodded, the woman giving him a smile in response.

"She ask if I speak Slovak." He clarified to his confused companion.

Ivy came running into the room, holding a piece of paper tightly in one fist and a necklace in the the other. She ran to Viktor and hugged him fiercely.

"You've got a runner to track down! Goes by the name of Joe, bolted from a speakeasy down by the river. They're prime real estate, apparently, so we're doing them a favor and getting rid of this one."

By this time, she had noticed there was one too many people in the room. Anna smiled at her in an amiable way, but was met with with a calculating glare as Ivy sized her up.

Damn, she was pretty. Not even in a fashionable sense, with her long wild hair and dark but neat skirt and blouse. She noted with indignity her trashy stockings and the dark garter belt that was visible at the bottom of the skirt. What did she think this was. A whorehouse?

It was as though the strange new woman could read her thoughts. Her face straightened into a look the girl had seen frequently on Mordecai's face, with perhaps even less emotion. Wordlessly, Ivy handed the letter to Viktor and stomped out.

"Is she always so...?" The friendly smile was back in place.

"Critical? Yes, she is." Mordecai sighed. "She's difficult sometimes, highly illogical other times."

Anna laughed lightly. "Well, that's America's modern woman for you. So many choices she can't make her mind up over any of them!"

"What do you mean, Miss Selekov?"

"I was only referring to the fact there are so many gentlemen here for her to chose from."

"There are, undoubtedly. She prefers  
Viktor to the rest of us save the Mays, who are her godparents."

"Well, he seems awfully levelheaded."

"First impressions are often deceiving."

"Are you crazy?" She asked Viktor in Slovak, drawing out a laugh. Mordecai sighed, wondering if this was how Viktor usually felt.

"Probably," He answered, not offering his companion a translation. "I haven't thought about it."

She turned to Mordecai. "We have a man to track down, do we not?"

"Yes," He muttered as she went to go and collect her belongings quickly and take them to her room before they left. "We do."

There was something almost familiar about her, he thought. She was attractive enough by the normal standard but even he could feel that something was off. It had faded through at Ivy when she had been impolite-a cold interior, one he recognized from somewhere...

Viktor gave him an amused look, wondering how long it would take him to realize exactly how alike he and Anna were. Mordecai thought he was a monster, people told him that's what he was, but those who really knew him (however small that number was) knew better than that.

If someone calls you a name enough, you start to believe it. He had seen that through his best friend, a young girl who had been called a freak so many times she simply decided to end her life. He remembered Ishtar and the way she had sobbed over the grave of her lover and how she had joined the army to fight the people responsible for putting Jana in the ground.

He didn't want Mordecai to get to that point, or anywhere near it, Anna either. The boy was no monster, of that he was certain, the part of him that showed affection was just heavily guarded by a cold exterior. People, Viktor knew, were not so hard to figure out. They worked so much like machines it was almost peculiar.

His tasks at the Little Daisy more often than not included repairing damaged things. He could barely read English, but the instructions in books were not how he put things back together. The secret, he knew, was looking at each piece as part of the bigger picture that was the over all machine. Understanding that meant understanding the problem.

People and emotions were the same way. He had always been short of words, and people took that for apathy and perhaps even lack of intelligence. The truth is, it becomes much easier to hear and understand if your mouth is shut. There was a lot that Viktor had learned in his years on the earth and the vast majority were learned when he was not speaking.

Emotions and opinions are all part of the same picture, the person's personality. As far as he was concerned, Mordecai acted coldly because he was afraid. Killing was what had gotten him the job, his reputation having superseded him. What most people didn't know was the time before he had to make himself into a ruthless lackey.

Nearly a month had passed and neither of them had spoken about the kiss. He wondered if they'd ever speak about it at all.

Anna reentered the room, a bag slung over her shoulder.

"We ought to go."

They did.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The so-called vagabond was a great deal more supported by his new establishment than Atlas had let on.

Still, they had managed the job with little difficulty, save Anna grazed by a bullet in a quick bid to stop Viktor from being shot in the head.

One could say they got on well after that. She was an excellent fighter, a fact she had demonstrated with her ability to pin Mordecai down in just under thirty seconds the first time they sparred. The younger man held a sort of grudging respect for her, though he wouldn't admit it at gunpoint.

He watched her grapple with her companions too, for the new additions to the Lackadaisy family could be called no less than that to her. They all spoke Japanese most of the time save Azazel (who's real name was Hazel, actually, though only Jack called her that) who didn't speak at all.

"My parents weren't the best," Jack explained to Rocky in a conversation Mordecai was trying very hard to ignore but couldn't help hearing. "Hazel tried to hang herself when she was eight. She obviously lived, but there was permanent damage to her throat. That coupled with a nice dose of PTSD keeps her silent as the grave. We aren't even sure if she has the ability to speak anymore."

Viktor knew a thing or two about PTSD. He told Anna as much in Slovak, his expression enough to make her ask questions and her earnest and kind interest was enough to make him answer honestly.

She had felt the war, lost her parents and her four siblings to it. Babydoll had adopted her at ten, even though she herself was only twenty at the time. They had been friends since, adopting Jack and Azazel after eight years, when Azazel was nine and Jack was thirteen.

"They would have been separated," She explained. "He would have had to leave eventually and they might have kept her forever because of her disability. We wanted to save them."

The language the four spoke in sounded very odd and fast to everyone else. Still, there was no mistaking the happiness the four so obviously shared. Anna seemed to have an unending well of patience for Jack and his stupidity, and for Babydoll's difficulty learning English. It reminded him of Ivy and Viktor, the latter did, of the way the two interacted. Although, he had to say that Anna was much less annoying that Miss Pepper always seemed to be with her endless chatter, as she barely spoke at all to anyone outside of her three companions.

Babydoll wanted nothing to do with anyone outside her family-she never spoke in anything but gravelly Japanese and occasionally Russian to Anna. They existed peacefully enough together, though even Rocky seemed to know better than to mess with the older woman. He had learned the hard way, the happy-go-lucky violinist still nursing a sprained ankle and several bruises from the time he had gotten too close and been thrown into a wall.

Azazel was young enough to be her grandchild, and was usually spoilt as such. Still, she seemed very grown up for such a young girl. She was terribly thin, as though she were starving, with wide yellow-green eyes that slanted in a way much like her brother's. High cheekbones gave her face an exotic look. When she danced in front of the crowds they all thought she was beautiful, but Viktor wondered how she could fight if she was so frail.

The answer, it turned out, was that she was not frail at all. A single swing from her sword was enough to cut halfway through the crowbar Viktor was wielding against her in one of their sparing lessons. She had, before the fight, tried to convince him in her surprisingly efficient but wordless way that weapons were a bad idea. The fight had ended with him flat against the wall and her sword pressed against his neck just lightly enough to draw a brilliant line of red.

Azazel was definitely not frail. She was faster than anyone Viktor had ever fought in his life and that sword, it turned out, was useful for a myriad of things. Mordecai had made the unfortunate mistake of comparing it unfavorably against a gun, a fact that the older Russian woman had decided to rectify when they all came together to practice (as they did every night at the insistence of Atlas).

"Vatch." That had been the Babydoll's first word directed at him that hadn't been in another language or a stream of cursing as she had provided the one time they were sent somewhere together.. He had watched in shock as she let out a stream of shots from her curious gun without warning straight at the little girl.

Faster than he or anyone else could see Azazel deflected every single shot into the targets her brother had set up in their makeshift practice room. She checked them quickly, frowning at the fact that only one of them was in the center of the bull's eye.

"Ve practice." The woman growled, stalking back to her customary position just behind Anna. Both Viktor and Mordecai were astounded into silence and speech respectively.

"She is fourteen?" The larger man asked incredulously. "Is good enough for trained assassin."

"Well, that's what she is." Jack shrugged. "I pity that older guy who's always watching her, the one that Atlas told me you two tossed out a month or so before we got here. Sweet, is that his name?"

"Asa?" The blonde laughed. " He has wandering eyes, that one . I hate letting her dance when he's here- even Rocky noticed and I think that really says something about the whole thing. Although..."

She gave Mordecai a thoughtful look of appraisal. He was handsome, she thought, with his distinctive features and green eyes. They were different from the Aharas', dark and serious and brought out by his paler skin. He was built differently too, more solid and broad in the shoulders even if he was a bit shorter than Jack was. He shifted uncomfortably under her amber-orange gaze, throughly unsettled by the attention to his appearance.

"He looks at you more." She said softly, the way her eyes seemed to soften unnerving him further still. "Ought we to kill him, Mr. Heller?"

He flinched. "I'm afraid Mr. May would take a very dim view of that, Miss Selekov."

"Atlas may pay us, but he doesn't own us."

He said nothing, wondering not for the first time what had put the fire in her words.

They had another assignment, this time under the dictation under none other than Asa Sweet. He had been taken back under Atlas's wing and, with his blessing, had started negotiations with the inhabitants of the Bayou and New Orleans.

Azazel, Anna, Mordecai, and Babydoll had been sent to help with the negotiations in the Bayou, Viktor and Jack going to see through negotiations in the more civil part of society.

It would have settled his mind to have Viktor with them, and yet Atlas had a point when he said Jack would need the help. He wanted badly to go with them, but orders were orders.

"I'm sorry for kissing you." He had said to Viktor in one of the rare moments they were alone. He had found the man working on the car he and Jack would take to New Orleans, the garage empty of anyone else. "It was...unprofessional of me., and impulsive, I-"

Viktor caught him by the waist, setting him on the hood of the car as though it was nothing and kissing him warmly. The younger of the two seemed to melt into the touch, kissing back desperately. He pressed himself up against Viktor shakily, unwilling to break the contact.

"Viktor..." He pressed his face into the other's neck, closing his eyes and breathing in shakily. "Take care of yourself."

"I vill."

"Miss Selekov, might I get to know your first name?" Asa gave Anna a decidedly sleazy look from his position in the back seat of the large car. Mordecai was driving, Anna sitting almost primly next to him. They had talked quietly about strategies, up until the point where Asa had gotten bored.

"I am afraid, Mr. Sweet, that professional relationships do not require first names." Mordecai stifled a smile at the woman's words. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Azazel bow her head to hide her smile. Babydoll, who had taken it upon herself to sit between her young companion and the older man gave no response.

"Your friend, the one sitting next to me, does she speak English?"

"A bit."

"And Azazel?"

"She doesn't speak."

"Not even a little?"

"Not at all."

"Mordecai, then, how are things with your new friend? You know, the big one you've whipped into following you around like a-"

He slammed the breaks.

"Mr. Sweet," Anna's tone was cold as ice. "If you are to say one more word regarding any of the people in this car then I am going to nail your tongue to a wooden block and have Azazel slice it off."

"You know," Mordecai chimed in thoughtfully. "She's such a talented swordsman she would probably only cut off a bit of your nose and lips."

He had gone white as a sheet. "You wouldn't dare."

"Babydoll speaks and understands no English. She's a killer as much as she's a human, and most of the same can be said for Azazel-it wouldn't be hard to claim that there was a misunderstanding. Really, any of us would be able to do something so simple as to make it look like an accident."

"I never-"

"We could always say you tried to molest Azazel..." Anna grinned widely. "It's obvious, what with the way you look at her when she's dancing, or when she's at the table with you and your goon. Atlas would buy that."

"We've proven our point. Quiet down." Mordecai murmured to her, though he was smiling at the idea.

Babydoll spoke up for the first time and only time that she would for the entire car ride.

"Ax vould be better. Take off head." She said, clear as a bell. Asa finally did as he was told and fell quiet.

The car was shot at as soon as it entered the drive of the house they were meant to be staying at. Anna threw herself in front of Mordecai and told him to drive as fast as he could toward the house and so he did.

As soon as the shooters got a good look at who was in the front seat, they cease fire immediately, but not before Anna had gotten shot.

Mordecai slowed down, smirking at the horrified man in the back seat as Anna shifted herself away.

"Shit, they got me in the shoulder." She muttered, shucking off her over-shirt and using it to try to stop the already daunting bleeding. Azazel shot out of the car like one of the earlier bullets, drawing her sword as though it were and extension of her arm.

A man moved himself out of the shadows. He was tall, almost as tall as Viktor, with muscular arms bared by a tight white tank top. Brown hair just long enough for him to run his hands through was sifted through as he tried to get a good look at what he had hit. They fixed on Anna, her hair blonder and wilder than ever, though now it was marginally bloody. It flew this way and that as she opened the car door with her good arm and stepped out. Her skirt swung as she tried to wipe her eyes, getting a good bit of blood from her hands on her face as well.

He stood transfixed, until a man that must have been his employer walked out to stand beside him. He was dressed in a white, pinstriped suit with a pink shirt underneath and a cigar dangling stereotypically from his spit-slick lips. He gawked at the woman the same way the boy had, though Anna decided immediately that he was no where near as attractive.

"Oh don't lose what's left of your brain watching her, she's far out of your way." The boss laughed, walking away from his lackey and towards the party. "Sorry 'bout that. My boy Nico can be a little trigger happy when the mood strikes. What can I do you for?"

"We're the envoy sent by Mr. May," Mordecai said, stepping out of the car and in front of Azazel. "Sent to broker a deal."

"Of course, of course." He turned back to his employee, fury written across his face as he whispered angrily to him. "I told you we were expecting company!"

"I gon'n shot a goddess..." He said, staring still at Anna.

Mordecai sighed. It was obvious that the boy was a loon, and the boss probably was too. He gave Anna a quick check before turning back to them. "Perhaps we could come inside? Also, it would seem that you've shot my associate, she will require medical supplies."

The loon, Nico, started at the mention of his mistake. "Let me fix it, cher. It's the least I can do..."

Anna nodded brusquely, ignoring the hopeful tone to his voice and starting towards both him and the house. Babydoll and Asa were out of the car too by this point, though Asa was still not speaking. The woman gave Nicp a dark look, making him flinch before be turned and led Anna away towards the house.

"Why take a bullet for me?" Mordecai asked her, when the deals were made and their party was safely home.

She sighed. "It was an unintelligent reflex."

That was an answer he would have given, he realized. It clicked now- all the familiarity he had always found in her words had been in comparison to his own.

"You aren't a monster, Anna."

He owed her now too.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

Viktor and Jack had come home successfully and safely, Azazel greeting them as though they had been gone for a year instead of two weeks.

Anna had smiled at Viktor, a genuine smile that he thought lit up the room.

But now, Viktor was gone.

They'd been sent for a routine pickup, a daunting enough force that they doubted there would be any trouble. Captain Kehoe had taken the money from Azazel and watched them offload up to the point when the gunfire started.

Babydoll returned fire fiercely, a cry of pain and a shriek gave away the assailant's location. Azazel froze, calculating out positions for all of five seconds before her friend turned and fired at her.

Two bodies hit the floor, another pained yell sounding from the bullets she sent their way. Anna stepped forward, next to her old companion. "Go, help the boys carry everything. We'll stay here."

She nodded and turned to leave, raising her gun behind her back to stop a bullet. Azazel bolted towards the direction of the gunshot, disappearing into the underbrush surrounding them.

Jack heard a scream from his place in the hold, a scream that he knew.

"Hazel!" He dropped the crate carelessly and shot off towards the sound of the struggle. Viktor swore, not dropping the crate but following him.

"Stay," He said to Mordecai.

Anna was splattered in blood, trying to drag Azazel out of the woods desperately. Her foot was stuck in what it had taken her a moment to realize was a bear trap. The little girl was unconscious, and the trap was staked deep into the ground. Jack ran to them, starting to pull at the chain but holding it carefully so as not to hurt his sister.

"Those bastards..." He growled when Anna relayed what had happened. He scooped the girl into his arms and continued to tug at the chain. "The release is broken off, I don't know if we can get it off without hobbling her."

Viktor materialized around him, grabbing the chain and ripping the stake out of the ground with one pull. "Take her home."

Jack nodded and hurried back to the first car, already loaded with half the night's haul, his sister slung across his shoulders.

A man stepped out of the shadows. "Sorry, Cher, wasn' noddin' else I coul' do. De boss sen' 'is regards."

Anna let out a horrible, inhuman noise that Viktor was certain he'd never heard come out of anything other than an enraged animal. She sprung at him, her nails catching into his cheek and ripping into it savagely. She hit him hard enough to loosen some teeth with her momentum, a combination of that and the surprise letting her knock him to the ground.

The surprise only lasted for a few seconds. He picked her up by the arms, holding her far away enough that she couldn't hurt him.

"None of dat, goddess, I don' wan' kill you." He laughed before throwing her to the side. She landed hard, the impact knocking her out. Blood trickled down his neck and onto the collar of his shirt. "Le's hope your boy hea don' wan' put a figh' up."

Viktor swung hard, catching him in the side of the face, and they fell into the easy pattern of a fistfight.

Babydoll hissed at a shadow, the formless darkness changing to that of a woman in dark clothing. Seraphine laughed, long and low.

"You de bi' ugly brute de say don' speak an' English?"

Babydoll shot her twice, one in the leg and one in the shoulder. She stepped over her as though it was nothing, but not before bringing her foot down hard enough on the prone woman's arm to crack the bones in her wrist.

"Oh, I might be a brute." She said in Russian, over the woman's scream of pain. She had her back to her, so she couldn't see her drawing a pistol from the holster inside of her jacket with her good hand.

"But I saw the goddamn bear trap you caught my daughter in. That's brutality." Those were the last words she'd ever say, her lights put out forever by a well-aimed shot from Seraphine's pistol. She laughed as before when Babydoll dropped.

"Sweet drems, brute."

Mordecai shot her twice from his position on the stern of the ship. She crumpled, not dead yet but she would be soon if somebody didn't staunch the bleeding. Nico looked up, enough of a pause that have Viktor another opening for a hit.

But Nico caught him in the side of the head with the butt of his gun and dazed him long enough for the other to get hands around his neck.

Mordecai couldn't shoot, not with the chance of hitting Viktor. He ran up to them, trying to pull Nico off him only to be hit in the face so hard he felt his teeth rattle.

Another hit knocked him out completely. Viktor had struggled free while the boy was distracted. They grappled more fiercely, Nico needing to get free and help his sister, Viktor needing to gather the rest of his associates and get them to safety. The latter didn't notice it, but their fight was getting closer and closer to the edge of the riverbed.

With a last hit, Nico managed to knock Viktor unconscious. He was no longer smiling as he tossed Viktor into the river and rushed to get his sister patched up and gone before any of the Lackadaisy runners could wake up. Despite multiple furtive glances at the river, Viktor didn't reemerge.

Anna woke first, feeling as though someone had split open her skull. A quick, cursory check with her hands discover a great deal of blood on the back of her head. The Savoys were gone, and so was Viktor.

Panic tried to overtake her, the first thought being that Viktor had betrayed them. She took in several gasping breathes, calming slightly at the sight of Babydoll laying on the ground. The blonde crawled across the ground, resting her head finally against her old friend's back.

"Thank god," She murmured in Russian. "At least I've found you..."

Something was wrong. The woman's heartbeat, steady as it always had been, was gone. She was cold, and when Anna tried to turn her over to look at her face her hand touched something sticky and wet.

Blood, she thought. Oh god, it was blood. A bullet hole.

"No," She whispered. "No, no, no, no, no..."

A scream was building in the back of her mind. She forced her friend, her adopted mother, onto her back to check her vitals only to find out even more firmly what she already knew.

"No, no, no, please don't leave me please don't no you can't please, not you too please, no..."

She was dead.

She was dead.

Oh god.

She was dead.

Anna screamed.

Oh god. Oh god. Oh god.

Mordecai woke up with a start, the scream breaking through the film of unconsciousness and immediately thought of Viktor.

Please don't let Nico have killed him.

Anna was about ten feet away, crouched over Babydoll, the two of them the only people in the clearing with him. Anna was shaking her friend, muttering quietly in a language he recognized as Russian.

"Anna," He stood up. "Where's Viktor?"

"No," She collapsed onto Babydoll. "No, no, no, Mordecai help us please, no, no, no, She's-"

Her words were clipped off at the end by a sob.

"Where is Viktor?" He said, an edge of panic in his voice. "Anna, where is he?"

She was shaking badly, quiet gasps and whimpers escaping in spite of her best efforts. "I don't know, I don't, the boy threw me and I passed out, she's dead Mordecai she's dead..."

"Where is he, Anna?!" The panic sharpened, cutting into something soft inside of him. He grabbed her by the front of her shirt, yanking her away from the corpse she was clinging to. "Where is he?! You must have seen him!"

She was shaking her head, sobbing uncontrollably now. He shook her, holding her up completely since her legs had given out. "I don't know, I don't know, I don't know..."

"Tell me!" He was shouting, almost throttling the poor woman. "You worthless guttersnipe, where is he?!"

"Drop her, Mordecai." The car he had taken was back, empty save him, now contained Rocky, Ivy, and Dr. Quackenbush; though neither of the two had noticed it. Jack, who was already out of the car, cocked his gun purposefully. "We've lost enough people, I don't want to shoot you too but I will."

He dropped her. Anna was unable to do anything but bury her face in Babydoll's stomach, whispering her quiet mantra of denial.

"No, no, no, no, no..."

"He's gone," Mordecai said quietly, turning to the adolescent. "Viktor's gone. Where is he?"

"I don't know." He voice was level. "I need you to step away from the two of them, okay?"

"Where is he?" He said, though it lacked as much conviction as it had before. "He's gone..."

"We'll find him, Mordecai, it's going to be alright..." He pulled the other away carefully towards the car and sat him down in the back seat. He was looking down, his expression shrouded by the shadows made by the dim light, folded in on himself as though trying to keep warm.

The others were already out of the car, although none of them were keen on approaching the grief-stricken woman, with her wild and bloody hair that lent her the air of a madwoman.

"Is he...?" Rocky was staring at the compacted figure in the back seat. "Is he alright?"

"Viktor's missing, apparently." He sighed. "Poor bastard's probably dead. I'll bet anything whoever it was dumped his body in the river. We'll find him within the week, all-"

Rocky motioned for him to stop, seeing the horrified look Ivy had plastered across her face. "Jack-"

"I know." He knelt next to Anna.

"Anna, she's gone." He said in his odd, fast language. "Come here, let the doctor look at you. You're bleeding everywhere..."

"No!" She ripped herself away from him, trying to stumble away shakily. "No, no, I have to find him. Viktor. He, he needs me-"

She cut herself off with another bout of crying. Jack picked her up carefully, afraid she would hurt him. After a moment or two of sitting in his arms as dead weight, she curled herself into his side with a quiet whimper.

"Ivy, open the other door."

"Are you sure you want to put them next to each other? I mean, he was going to kill her..."

"He's in shock. She's no better." Rocky shrugged. "We haven't got a choice. We need to fill the other car up with more of the haul, and the body."

"And Viktor." The girl spoke up quietly. "Put me down, Jack, we need to go look for him."

"Why are you so determined?" Ivy asked her. "He's not your family."

"He is now." She murmured as Jack sat her down carefully. At her full height she was just a bit tall than Ivy, but somehow she managed to tower over her when she spoke.

"We can't all be born into rich, devoted families and be the boss's goddaughter. I've lost one, maybe two of the people I love over anything else in the world-I'll be damned to hell if Viktor joins them."

She crawled into the seat and pulled the door shut before Ivy could make any response. She laid against Mordecai shakily and, much to the surprise of everyone there, he allowed her to do so.

"He hates people touching him." Rocky was in awe as he watched Mordecai put an arm around her. "I've never even seen Viktor get near him in anything but a fight."

"Loss does funny things to people." The doctor answered. "They've both suffered obvious head trauma, though the girl is much worse off. The poor thing..."

Jack didn't answer either of them, having knelt down next to Babydoll.

"It's true, then. I thought maybe she was wrong..." He shook his head. "After all those fights, somebody got you in the back of the head. Seems like a cheap shot. After all the good you've done... This isn't the ending you deserved."

Dr. Quackenbush walked over to him, a gentle expression on his face. "My dear boy, you've had quite a night. If you and Mr. Rickaby will carry her into the other car then it may be best for you to go to your friend's side and try to console her."

Jack shook his head, but stood up.

"How can one console the inconsolable?" He asked, not a trace of his usual mischievous demeanor remaining. "This will destroy her, and maybe Mordecai too if we don't find Viktor."

"None the less, you will be a great comfort to her-and she to you, I think. There is no balm so soothing as a loved one when tragedy strikes."

"You should have been a poet." He said bitterly, picking Babydoll up quickly and carrying her to the designated car. "Such useless, empty words...the best thing I can do is go and look for my missing associate. That is what I can do to help."

Despite the resounding disagreement from both Ivy and Rocky he started trying to decipher the marks made by what had obviously been a very intense hand-to-hand. When asked to come to the cars, he refused until the last possible second.

Mordecai had moved to the front seat, taking Anna with him. She was still pressed against him, unable to make herself stop crying. Rocky approached the side door carefully.

"Are you sure driving right now is a good idea?"

"Anna needs to get home. She'll want to see Azazel, and start the burial arrangements for her mother." He ran his fingers through her hair gently when she made a quiet, pained noise at the word.

"Her mother?!"

"Her mother. Anna was an orphan, adopted by Babydoll when she was ten. She will need to be given time to grieve. They all will: she adopted Jack and Azazel when they were thirteen and nine respectively."

She whispered something quietly, in what Mordecai was certain wasn't English.

"Anna, your language options are either English or Yiddish if you want me to understand you."

"I'm sorry..." She murmured in the latter-mentioned language, making Rocky raise his eyebrows in a confused manner. "I should have protected him."

"He can protect himself." He promised, hoping it was true. "You need to focus on getting yourself well again."

"Speaking a language no one else speaks is rude, you know." Ivy slid into the back seat, the doctor following suite on the other side of the car.

"I doubt very much that Miss Selekov particularly cares at the moment." He answered her, starting the process of getting the car to work. "She's had a rather stressful night, I wouldn't begrudge it of her."

"You are a hypocrite." Anna murmured in French, making Ivy's ears perk. "Always speaking to your godfather in this language as though it were your own secret code..."

"How many languages does she speak?!"

"I'm not certain. Anna, how many languages do you speak?" He was still stroking her hair reassuringly, trying to help her regain her mental facilities.

"A lot," She whispered, finally speaking English again. "I couldn't go to school, the other children were so cruel about my decent. She let me spend my time at the libraries, stayed there with me until I was old enough to go by myself even though she didn't understand English-"

He sighed when her voice broke. "Miss Pepper, perhaps you ought to leave her alone for the time being. She's in a fragile state."

Silence reigned in the car for most of the way back to the establishment, before Anna phrased him another question in Yiddish.

"Do you love him?"

"Love is for children, I owe him a debt."

She paused for a long moment. Mordecai gave her a quick, worried look to make sure she was still awake.

"You aren't a monster either, Mordecai."

[[Was that a line from Avengers? Yes, it was, because the Black Widow reminds me a lot of Mordecai.]]


End file.
